


Midnight Knives

by digitaldreams



Category: Octopath Traveler (Video Game)
Genre: And mentioned spoilers of Primrose chapter two, M/M, Not Beta Read, Spoilers for Cyrus chapter three, fat yeet, how did I not die of hand cramps while initially writing this, random drabble I typed while waiting in line for a Japanese steakhouse a few months ago, trigger warning for knives and sharp objects, you guys really liked my other octopath short so here you go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-05 06:28:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17319722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/digitaldreams/pseuds/digitaldreams
Summary: Olberic had always been able to sense when something bad was about to happen, and he was happy he could tell this night in particular.





	Midnight Knives

Olberic shot up immediately once his eyes opened.

He was breathing heavily as he glanced around the room. His mind was putting together where he was, managing to separate it from the dream he had awoken from. He was sitting in his bed at the inn of Stonegard. Cyrus was asleep beside him. Olberic halfway expected to see the others around the room in their regular sleeping arrangements, but they weren't there. Since all the larger rooms had been taken, they had split up into four small rooms. He was with Cyrus, who was still snoring quietly to his right. Olberic mentally thanked Brand that he hadn't woken the scholar.

Olberic had been forced from sleep by a nightmare. He often had dreams regarding the fall of Hornburg, but when he didn't, his nightmares were omens of things to come, often negative. Tonight had fallen into the latter category.

He stared at the window of the room, realizing it was still late at night, as he recalled his dream. Olberic had been asleep at the start of it, but when he regained consciousness, there had been the sight of blood. Cyrus' body had been on the ground, a knife lodged in his chest. It was enough to startle Olberic from slumber.

Now that he was awake, he knew he wasn't going to be getting back to bed anytime soon. If something really was going to happen to Cyrus, he couldn't sleep again anyways. Olberic would have to protect him should an assailant appear from the darkness.

Olberic thought for a moment about waking the others. Primrose and H'aanit were just across the hall with Linde. They'd be helpful in defending Cyrus from harm it it was necessary. Waking the scholar wouldn't hurt either. He was an incredible sage with enough experience in fire magic to fry anyone instantly. There was strength in numbers, which meant any attackers would stand no chance.

The warrior threw the covers off himself, ready to go get Primrose and H'aanit, but the knob turned before his feet were on the ground. Olberic grabbed his blade from beside the bed and clutched the handle tight. It was still in its sheath, so when he returned to the mattress for a moment to examine the situation, no sheets were ripped.

The silhouette of a young woman appeared in the doorway, but it was no one Olberic recognized. The figure was too tall to be Ophilia or Tressa for one. She lacked the lean frame of Primrose and the muscular one of H'aanit as well. Olberic frowned. Whoever this was, he had a bad feeling. This simply had to be linked to the vision he had seen of Cyrus.

The woman quietly shut the door behind her. She pulled something from a pouch on her belt. Olberic saw the flash of metal in the moonlight. It was undoubtedly a dagger, and if his suspicions were correct, it was meant to end the night covered in Cyrus' blood.

When the woman raised the knife up, Olberic acted swiftly. He grabbed her wrist and shoved it away from Cyrus. The knight got to his feet and freed his sword from its holder. He swung the sword so it would catch the blade of the dagger. The woman gasped in shock and stumbled backwards. Olberic saw a few strands of dark hair as a thought briefly crossed his mind. When they had been leaving Quarrycrest, he and Cyrus had spoken briefly. Cyrus had detected somebody was following him, possibly with murderous intent. They had resolved not to do anything yet, as they couldn't say how their stalker would react.

Now, Olberic was regretting not facing them before.

The woman let out a cry before swinging the dagger in his direction. Olberic stepped to the side and tried to make a slice at her, but she was fast enough to see it coming and duck. She tried to swing again, but she was cut off by a small grunt from behind Olberic.

"What is...?"

Cyrus had woken up from all the commotion. Olberic gasped and looked at the scholar over his shoulder. "Cyrus, you have to-"

Before he could finish the sentence, the woman was lunging past him. She tried to make a stab at Cyrus, but he saw it coming. He raised up one arm to block it. Instead of the knife going into his chest, it embedded itself in his arm. Cyrus let out a roar of pain, his free hand going to his arm. Blood was quickly flowing from the wound.

Olberic retaliated by seizing the woman by the arm. He threw her into the opposing wall, leaving her breathless. She couldn't fight back without the dagger, so Olberic had pretty much won. He sliced her arm with his blade before trying to make a grab for her throat.

Unfortunately, she was faster than she seemed. "This isn't over!" the woman barked. She retreated from the room as quickly as she could, slamming the door behind her.

Olberic made to chase after her, but he paused when he heard another small whine from Cyrus. He was shaking lightly from the pain of the knife. Thankfully, he hadn't removed it yet (as Alfyn had mentioned once while patching up Therion after their fight with Rufus that was a bad idea).

"Are you alright?" Olberic asked, crouching down beside him. He pulled back the sleeve of Cyrus' night shirt to get a better look at the wound. It was a deep one, so they'd have to find Alfyn and get his help to fix it.

"I have certainly been better," Cyrus said. It was clear he was biting back another cry of agony. "May I inquire as to what exactly happened?"

"That woman was here to kill you, it seems," Olberic frowned. He slowly helped Cyrus prop himself up against the wall, being careful not to aggravate the wound at all. "I'm afraid I don't know who she was though."

"It's quite alright," Cyrus assured him."Perhaps we should retrieve Alfyn. He'd undoubtedly be angry if we didn't get him to help."

"We should go together. I don't want to chance that woman coming back," Olberic told him.

The warrior picked up Cyrus and gently cradled him in his arms. Not for the first time, and most certainly not the last, he felt as if it was his duty to keep Cyrus safe. This entire journey had proven repeatedly that he tended to get himself into trouble, so it was up to Olberic to keep him from getting too badly hurt. While he hadn't entirely succeeded tonight, Olberic was just glad they were both still alive. Whoever that woman was, she seemed intent on taking Cyrus' life. Only time would be able to tell what her role in this was, but until then, they had other things to attend to, like patching up Cyrus' arm.

The scholar opened the door with his good hand when they drew near. Olberic carried him to the room being shared by Alfyn and Therion. The mystery regarding the dark-haired woman could wait. Now, their job was to fix Cyrus' arm before it could get too much worse.

Olberic looked down at Cyrus with a gentle smile, though since his eyes were closed, he didn't notice. Olberic was relieved beyond words he was okay. Nothing could describe how happy Olberic was that he had woken up. Now, he just hoped that no other cruel date befell Cyrus in the nights to come.

**Author's Note:**

> After getting the most attention I've ever gotten on this site in a short few hours with my other Octopath short, I decided to go on and post this one. Olberic and Cyrus is a ship that I have always enjoyed, but it seems to be rather scarce with its content in comparison to Olberic x Erhardt. While I don't outright despise that ship, I've always preferred Olberic with Cyrus, as I feel they make for a very nice swords and sorcery boyfriends thing like Ike and Soren from Fire Emblem. Please give these two love. 
> 
> I don't think I have anything else for them hiding anywhere, but I'll be sure to tell you guys if I end up finding anything. I have some Alfyn x Therion stuff I need to dig up, and when I do, it'll be up ASAP. Until then, I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> -Digital


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